Rest
by SignsofSam
Summary: Lexie can't sleep, and Mark can't watch her sink any further.
1. One: Rest

**Title:** Rest

**Author:** S.N. Brown

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the characters of _Grey's Anatomy_. But a girl can wish…

**Summary: ** Lexie can't sleep, and Mark can't watch her sink any further_._

**Author's notes**: It's been awhile, but here's a short little ditty. Please review; I've been getting a whole lot of Story Alerts and Story Favorite alerts, but those are nothing compared to how great it is when I get a review; I appreciated the alerts and the favorites, and I know that means you guys like the story, but reviews make my heart go pitter-patter.

So, reviews=love

Also: if I get enough, I might continue this.

She looked so fragile when she opened the door, Mark realized as he stared across the small room at Lexie Grey, her brown hair pulled back into the sloppiest ponytail he had ever seen her hair in, her beautiful eyes dull and absent of life, her shoulders sagging with the weight of her conscience.

"Lexie," he breathed out, sitting up.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think anyone was in here. I was…I'm tired," she said, biting her bottom lip, her eyes filling with tears, threatening to spill over. "But you're here, so I'll just leave."

They hadn't talked since the shooting, not much, anyway. Sure, he had checked her into the psychiatric ward, and he had barged into the psychiatrist's office to demand reasoning for Lexie's clearing, but they were still in awkward limbo when it came to _them_, she too hurt by Alex's rejection and the trauma of the shooting and he too hurt by her.

But he couldn't bear it now, standing in the same room with her, her sadness rolling off her body in waves. "You need to sleep," he finally said, standing up. "You can't keep doing this to yourself. I know it's hard—your friends getting shot, people around you dying—but you can't stop sleeping and living or else then you become like him—with nothing to live for."

She didn't speak during his speech, her wide brown eyes staring at her shoes until he was done, and then she looked up, the tears finally streaming down her face. "My boyfriend walked out on me in the middle of the clinic, I had a complete mental breakdown, and I had to be rescued by the guy who wants to marry me yet let me go without a second thought because we both cheated. What in my life is worth being excited about?" she snapped, wiping at the tears, trying to be brave, trying to be confident.

She jumped when she felt his warm fingers on her chin, lifting her head up. "You have me, Lexie. I acted like an ass, a douchebag, a dick, but I'm not that guy anymore. I realized how much I missed you long before Gary Clark picked up a gun. I realized how much I wanted you long before his wife got sick. I realized how much you're a vital piece of my life a long time before he shot his first doctor. So you have me, and I'm not going to go away, not going to leave you in the middle of the clinic freaking out, leave you to face a gun again."

He leaned in, pressing a kiss into her forehead, and she felt a spark of life race through her. "Sleep, Lexie. I'll find somewhere else."

She took a deep breath, staring at the bed, and took a step forward, struggling out of her white coat, remembering the stain of Alex's blood on her other one, the one she had to give up as evidence.

"Mark?" she whispered as she laid, facing the wall, too embarrassed about what she was going to say to look at him. She heard him turn, knew his hand was on the doorknob, probably ready to leave. "Will you stay with me? Hold me? I think maybe…maybe it'll help."

He didn't answer, and she whimpered. She was alone again, all alone-

A weight sunk down beside her, a warm arm sliding over her waist, his other squirming it's way under head. He pulled her back so that she rested against his chest, his warmth radiating off of him and pulling her into sleep. The last thing she remembered, he kissed her cheek, then the back of her neck , near her ear, his breath tickling as he whispered "rest".

And so she slept, for the first time in what seemed like forever, with no dreams of Gary Clark and a gun at her face and blood staining her coat and her body as she looked frantically at Mark and then at Alex as she thought, "he's going to die and all I can say is that I'm not in love with him anymore."

She felt free.


	2. Two: Yell

**Title:** Yell

**Author:** S.N. Brown

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the characters of _Grey's Anatomy_. But a girl can wish…

**Summary: ** Lexie's not fragile. She's not broken, either. But she shouldn't have yelled.

**Author's notes**: Continuation on _Rest, _but also an extension on Thursdays episode. There will be another chapter (it's already written), but it's definitely AU. Thanks for all the reviews; I responded to most and will get the one or two I haven't responded to when I post this. Again, please review; I've been getting a whole lot of Story Alerts and Story Favorite alerts, but those are nothing compared to how great it is when I get a review; I appreciated the alerts and the favorites, and I know that means you guys like the story, but reviews make my heart go pitter-patter.

So, reviews=love

* * *

**Two: Yell**

Mark sipped his beer, staring at the muted TV, but not watching it. Lexie didn't want him to be around him. Lexie thought that people were scared of her be cause of _him_. He didn't mean to make them feel that way; he was just worried, and he wasn't really sure how he was supposed to show that without being…overbearing, he guessed.

He wasn't scared of her, and, on the inside, somewhere in his brain, he knew that she was better. She wasn't going to freak in the pit, and she would be okay in surgery.

He just wanted her to be _fine_.

He took another sip of beer, swallowing tightly. He still had nightmares, too, but mostly of the fact that Lexie had to face Mr. Clark in a dark hallway by herself, had to listen to him talk about how he had only wanted to shoot Derek and Richard and _her_, had to stare at the gun and wondered what it'd be like to die….and she had to do it all alone.

Those were his nightmares.

Another sip of beer.

He winced when a sharp knock on the door disturbed his quietness, and he sat the beer on the table beside the couch, rising and making his way to the door. He unlocked it, wiping his hand over his eyes before pulling the heavy door open.

"Lexie." He was surprised to see her, more surprised to see the puffy red eyes, the unkempt hair, the things that made her _so-not-Lexie_. "What's wrong?"

She didn't say anything, no explanation whatsoever, but she launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck as her lips found his in a searing kiss that was reminiscent of the first one they had shared in his hotel room.

He tried to push her away, tell her _no_, but she pushed him back, following his stumbling figure until he was pressed against a wall in the foyer.

"No," he said, pushing her away, harder than he intended, and he winced when she hit the opposite wall, eyes wide and scared and staring at him as tears found their way to the wood floors. She slid down the wall, knees pressed tight into her body, and the sobs began.

He closed the door, locking it, and then took a spot beside her. "I want to kiss you, I do, but you told me to leave you alone not even two hours ago and now you're showing up at my door, ready to find your way into my arms and in my bed?"

She snorted, not a real laugh, but something that was above crying, and he looked over at her, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "You must think I'm a total bitch or something, stringing you around like this."

"Or something," he answered. "You aren't a bitch. I've been walking on eggshells around you and treating you like you're a kid, and so you aren't a bitch when you tell me to go away."

"I think I love you," she whispered, biting her bottom lip, "I take that back. I know I love you. I knew when I was telling Alex I loved him, and then all I could think about was that _you_ were there, and _you_ had tried to protect me, and that _you_ want to marry me…that's what I thought about. When Alex walked away from everything, I was almost _glad_, because that meant that I didn't have to pretend anymore about caring for someone I don't care for."

He opened his mouth to say something, but her finger pressed against his lips, and he stayed silent. "And then that thing happened in the pit and…I don't know, it's like I…I went totally looney. And now you're treating me like I'm breakable and maybe I am, a little, but-"

Mark turned her head towards him, pressing his lips gently against hers'. She smiled when he pulled away, savoring their soft kiss nearly as much as their fiery ones. "You aren't crazy. I was wrong. You were tired, and stuff happened. But you_ aren't_ crazy. And you've proven you're definitely not breakable, Little Grey."

"I was trying to sleep. I can't."

He kissed her again, his fingers running through her hair and feeling the silky strands wrap around his digits. One kiss, and the he was up, offering her a hand. He led her to the bedroom-warm tones and rich colors, just like she remembered-and shut the door behind her.

"What are we doing?" she asked cautiously, letting him take her purse and toss it in the chair in front of the fireplace, only shivering a little when he took her coat, too. He didn't answer as he made his way into the closet, coming out with a pair of well-worn pajama pants and his favorite Columbia shirt, offering them to her. "Mark-"

"You know where the bathroom is; there are some new toothbrushes under the counter." Without another word, he pulled his shirt off, leaving her to herself.

When she returned to the bedroom, he was on one side of the bed, the other side waiting for her, the comforter turned back, two pillows just how she liked it. She climbed in nervously, turning off the lamp on her bedside table, bathing the room in darkness.

He let her settle, then pulled her closer, until he was wrapped around her, his arm warm on her waist. "Rest," he whispered, reminiscent of the night before, his lips ghosting over her hair.

"Okay," she answered, her hand finding his, gripping it tight before sleep overtook her.


	3. Three: Stay

**Title:** Stay

**Author:** S.N. Brown

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the characters of _Grey's Anatomy_. But a girl can wish…

**Summary: ** The morning after. It hurts to be Lexie, it hurts to be Mark. It just hurts.

**Author's notes**: Continuation on _Rest_, and in honor of the fact that last night's episode **severely** pissed me off. If Mark loved Lexie as much as he said and as much as others said, no way in hell would he have been doing things with Shepherd's sister!...getting down off my soap box now...Please review; I've been getting a whole lot of Story Alerts and Story Favorite alerts, but those are nothing compared to how great it is when I get a review; I appreciated the alerts and the favorites, and I know that means you guys like the story, but reviews make my heart go pitter-patter.

So, reviews=love

**Stay**

Mark was the first one to wake the next morning, his body curled around Lexie's so that their legs were tangled, or back pressed against his chest, her hair fanned around his face, their hands, still clasped together, were curled into her stomach, his arm tight around her waist. He sighed, basking in the closeness, their togetherness, knowing that when she woke, things wouldn't be like this.

Lexie had felt him move beside her, eyes opening as she realized that for the first time in over a month, she had gotten more than a few hours rest or woken from a nightmare. Cocooned against him, she felt warm, felt safe.

"Morning," she mumbled.

"Good morning, Lexie," he answered, willing his hand to let go of hers and pull his body from her. But, it wouldn't cooperate and she wasn't moving, so he relaxed, feeling her snuggle deeper. "Do you want breakfast?"

"Not now," she whispered, twisting in his arms, so they laid face-to-face, nose touching nose.

She kissed him, another soft one, and he smiled against her mouth. "I have morning breath."

"It's not that bad," she assured him as they parted. "Thank you for letting me stay."

"You needed some sleep, Lex."

"I got sleep last night." She leaned in to kiss him again, but something stopped her, the look in his eye when she said the words.

He sat up, the comforter pooling at his waist. "I can't do this with you, Lexie. I can't let you string me along until you decide you don't need me. I have to be in or out, and you have to choose what you want from me. I have a heart, and sure, it'll hurt if you don't choose me, but I can't let you break it again. But, I'll give it to you if you want it."

"I don't want to break your heart anymore than you want it broken, Mark," she whispered, climbing out of the bed, heading for the bathroom, slipping inside and closing the door.

Mark stared at the white door, trying to calm himself. They were having such a pleasant morning, and he just had to ruin it.

Suddenly the door opened, and she came out with just her bra and jeans on, flinging his clothes at him. "No, I'm not the one who broke up in the first place! I'm not the one who had to be a dick about things when we _both _cheated. And sure, I've been a bit of a loony bin these past couple of weeks, but hell, I watched my boyfriend almost die as my ex tried to save his life, I stared down the face of a gun, my sister miscarried and her husband nearly died! I love you, and I want you, but sometimes-you were treating me like I was five, and I'm not! I know you saw me hurting and had to help, but it's not me-I'm okay now.

"So, I love you! I love you! I don't want to rip your heart from you or make you hurt-I just needed some time to screw my head on straight and I-'

He kissed her, his hands weaving through her hair like they had for their first kiss, pulling her close so that they were touching. The kiss was fiery and hot and when she gasped into his mouth, his tongue sought entrance and she allowed it. His hands caressed down her shoulders, finally settling on her hips as her hands pulled on his t-shirt.

He broke their kiss long enough for her to take the shirt off, and she smiled as he kissed her again. "So I can stay?" she whispered as his lips pressed against her neck, her collarbone, her shoulder.

"As long as you like."


	4. Four: Here

**Title:** Here

**Author:** S.N. Brown

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the characters of _Grey's Anatomy_. But a girl can wish…

**Summary: ** The nightmares don't always go away.

**Author's notes**: So sorry for the wait; I've had hell week at school, and now I'm finally getting a break, so I can post again! Continuation on _Rest_. Once again, I might add another chapter. . Please review; I've been getting a whole lot of Story Alerts and Story Favorite alerts, but those are nothing compared to how great it is when I get a review; I appreciated the alerts and the favorites, and I know that means you guys like the story, but reviews make my heart go pitter-patter.

So, reviews=love

"You asleep?"

They were in bed, and she had been trying to go to sleep, but the nightmares and the images of the shooting were battling against her and apparently winning. "No," he answered, a half-groan as she twisted to look at him. "What's wrong?"

"I can't sleep."

His eyes widened, and he sat up, turning on the light. "What's wrong? Nightmares?"

"He was the one who came in the room. Not the SWAT guys. And he shot you. Over and over and over again. And then he looked at me and the only thing he said was '_how does it feel_' before he shot me. And then I woke up," she murmured, biting her lip, a single tear falling down her face.

He reached down, wiping the tear off her cheek, and leaned down, kissing her forehead. "But he didn't. We came out okay, Lex. No one shot us, and he didn't kill me. We're still here. Alex is still here. Derek is still here. _We're_ still here," he said, kissing her again, firmer, longer. She felt his hand trail down her shoulder, his head leaning down to kiss the curve where her shoulder rounded to her arm. His hand trailed down her side, grasping the hem of the tank top, and she let him remove it, feeling the rush of pleasure as he touched her.

"Mark," she gasped, her hands tightening against his back, cutting half-moons into the skin there as his lips pressed against her breasts. "Mark."

"Let me show you we're here," he said as he kissed her, and she nodded, feeling her head press against the pillows as he twisted her, hovering over her. "Let me love you."

She whimpered, pulling off his t-shirt, giving him her acceptance.

"I love you," she whispered when his hands brushed against her stomach, the tie of her pants. "I love you. I love you."

"I love you," he replied, peeling off her pants. "I'm here."

"I'm here," she said back, and he smiled, nodding. "I'm here, too."


	5. Five: Place

**Title:** Place

**Author:** S.N. Brown

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the characters of _Grey's Anatomy_. But a girl can wish…

**Summary: ** The nightmares don't always go away.

**Author's notes**: Continuation on _Rest_. Sorry about the long wait, but my inspiration has been shot. And now I'm doing NaNoWriMo (50000 words in 30 days!), so a new update might not happen for awhile; my apologies in advance! Reviews make my heart go pitter-patter.

So, reviews=love

"Do you ever think Meredith and Derek will finally kick all the rest of us out?" Lexie asked as she laid beside Mark, her head on his chest as his hand trailed up and down her bare arm. The bedroom was dark, but he knew she wasn't looking at him.

"Um…not if your sister has anything to do with it. Why?" Mark answered, attempting to laugh off the topic. Moving in was something that had ruined them before, and he wasn't too keen on getting on that topic again.

"I was just wondering. You know, she had a miscarriage. Which means they're thinking about babies. Which means they'll need room, and Alex just got shot, so he's out of getting kicked out and Jackson helped save Derek, which means he's not going to get kicked out. That leaves me and April, and April and Meredith have been strangely close lately and now…I think they'd kick me out first," Lexie blabbed into his chest, her warm breath causing shivers to run up his body.

"She wouldn't kick you out, Lex. You have an edge up on all of them-you're family, and Meredith won't forget that."

She smiled, placing a kiss on his chest, finally looking at him. "I love you."

"And even if she kicked you out," he said softly, "I'd let you stay with me."

"Like move in?" Lexie asked in a breathy whisper, her eyes catching his. "Mark-"

"This is your place just as much as it is mine, Lex. This is your home. So, yeah, if she kicks you out, you have a home here."

"And what if she wasn't going to kick me out?"

He raised his eyebrow, sitting up, the sheet pooling at his waist, over the soft skin of her breasts. "I don't know what you're talking about, Lexie. I also don't know if we need to be having this conversation at this point in time."

"Oh."

The silence in the room was pervading, seeping into their bed as she rolled away from him, and he sighed, running his hands through his hair as he heard her soft sobs.

She wiped her eyes as she heard the drawer to his bedside table open, then close, and a piece of paper dropped to the sheets beside her. "It's a four bedroom, three and a half bath property on a lake, six acres of land, spacious living room, dining room, big modern, updated kitchen. Fenced in, it has some nice trees in the backyard. The master is on the main level, it's gorgeous."

"Mark-"

"I want to put an offer on it, Lexie. But I don't want to do that until I know you want that to," he whispered, and she sat up, the piece of paper in her hand.

"We should look at it tomorrow," she murmured, wiping her tears away before lifting up slightly to kiss the corner of his mouth. "Thank you."

He smiled, and all thoughts of a house-a house, a home, a place, with him-left as his lips sought hers, and he wrapped his arms around her.

_Her place was with him_.


	6. Six: Hurt

**Title:** Hurt

**Author:** S.N. Brown

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the characters of _Grey's Anatomy_. But a girl can wish…

**Summary: ** The nightmares don't always go away.

**Author's notes**: Oh, wow. It's been _forever_, I know. But, I didn't get a lot of reviews for the last couple of chapters, and that coupled with the fact that I had finals equaled just a general lack of inspiration.

Hopefully there will be another chapter out sometime in the next week. Please, please, please review, as reviews=love. Thanks!

And everyone have a happy holiday!

**Hurt**

"Lexie?"

He was panicked, making his way through the multitude of boxes in the living room up to their bedroom. The door was opened, and Lexie was curled up on their bed, in one of his t-shirts and her favorite pair of sweats, her hair wet and stuck to her face, the bruises dark purple against her pale skin.

"Lex?" he whispered, stopping by the bed. He reached out a hand, stopping just short of her, before he worked up enough courage to push her hair back, tucking it behind her ear, sucking in a breath at the dark bruises on her cheek, her jaw line.

Her eyes opened, tears slipping beyond the rims, down to the pillows below her. "Derek told me not to get between the two guys. I didn't even know I'd done it until one of them hit me," she cried, sobs taking over. Mark sat on the bed, his hand squeezing her shoulder.

And then she was in his arms, her tears staining his neck and his shirt. He wrapped his arms around her, kissing her forehead, letting her cry. It was best to let her get it all out.

She had been in the ER when the cops had come in with seven or eight gang members. She had been working with Owen, working over the minor traumas, and she had accidently gotten in between the stretchers of two rival gang members. One insulted the other, and punches started flying, one of them hitting Lexie in the face.

Apparently, more than once.

"I got…I just remembered being at the desk, when Mr. Clark shot _ and we found Alex in the elevator and I….oh God, Mark."

"Everyone's okay, honey. There was no shooter. No one died," Mark soothed her, pushing her hair behind her ear when it fell. "You're okay. I'm okay. Alex is okay. Everyone's okay. That nightmare ended a long time ago." He tried to keep his voice reassuring as he whispered softly into her hair, rubbed circles—slow and soft—into her back, murmured that he loved her and that she was okay.

"I love you," she finally whispered, after what seemed like hours, pressing a kiss onto his neck, at the juncture of his jaw and his neck. "I don't know what I would do without you."

"You don't ever have to worry about that again, Lexie. I won't let anyone or anything keep us apart," he promised, and she nodded. "I won't let you get hurt again."


	7. Seven: Ring

**Title:** Ring

**Author:** S.N. Brown

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the characters of _Grey's Anatomy_. Nor do I own the description of the ring, which came from a website called Antique Engagement Rings.

**Summary: ** He was ready to change.

**Author's notes**: Happy New Years, guys! New chapter! Please review, because they make my heart pitter-patter and will encourage me to write another chapter!

He could feel it in his pocket, pressing against his leg.

It was an antique; he had found it at a local jewelry store a week before and bought it on a whim, _just in case_. It was a two carat Edwardian-era engagement ring with a regal crown center, diamond studded tulip-shaped V-sides anchored with sapphires. It reminded him of Lexie, and it called to him the moment he stepped into the store. He hadn't looked at another ring.

Now all he had to do was ask.

He was ready, he thought. He had been having weird dreams lately, of what it would be like to have _children_, to raise them and love them, and grow old with Lexie.

Mark never thought he would settle down. He would be the confirmed bachelor, be the one to spoil Derek's children and Derek's sisters' children, but never have any of his own.

Then he had met Lexie, and the future started changing.


	8. Eight: Pop

**Title:** Pop

**Author:** S.N. Brown

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the characters of _Grey's Anatomy_. Nor do I own the description of the ring, which came from a website called Antique Engagement Rings.

**Summary: ** He was ready to change.

**Author's notes**: Please review, because they make my heart pitter-patter and will encourage me to write another chapter!

She was tired; she was cranky. It wasn't her fault—she had been on for twenty-four hours and she was ready to fall into bed _without _sex. _Without_ sex. From Mark.

She had never not wanted sex from Mark.

"You look bitchy," Meredith commented as she sat by Lexie, watching her younger half-sister marking on the charts.

"I've been here since five A.M. yesterday. I am ready to go home," Lexie answered, blinking to clear the blurriness in her eyes. "I am ready to go home and sleep in my big, comfy, king-sized bed for three days. Three!"

"When are you off?"

"In about five minutes. And then I get to go home to the big bed. The comfy bed."

"Yes, we've been over this before, though its interesting you failed to mention your boyfriend."

"I don't care about my boyfriend at this particular moment. I care about my bed, that big, warm, comfy bed. Mark can go screw himself for all I care."

"Hey, now," Mark's gravely voice said behind them, and Lexie jumped, clearly surprised. "Why am I going to screw myself?"

"Because I am tired. I want my bed. I don't really care if you're in it or not," Lexie explained.

"Go home, Lexie," Meredith suggested, smiling at the younger woman as she smiled in excitement and shut the charts, hurrying off to give them to her attending before leaving. Mark found her in bed seven hours later when he returned to their house. She was curled under their blankets, hair fanned out over her pillow even though her head was tucked in between their pillows.

He shrugged off his jacket, pulled off his shoes, felt the press of the ring in his scrub pants. He crawled into bed, reaching out to push her head behind her ear while he stretched out. "Lexie, wake up," he murmured, leaning forward to kiss her nose. When he pulled away, her warm brown eyes were open, and he smiled. "Feel better."

"Much. I could use sex now," she answered, chuckling when he laughed. "I'm glad you're home."

"Me too. I've got to ask you something."

"Mhh?"

His hand grasped the ring box, and he slowly extracted it, working quickly, quietly until he had only the ring in his hand. "One question, and you can go back to bed."

"Okay?" she whispered sleepily. "What is it?"

"Will you marry me?"

She suddenly wasn't sleepy anymore.


	9. Nine: Dress

**Title:** Rest

**Author:** S.N. Brown

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the characters of _Grey's Anatomy_..

**Summary: ** He was ready to change.

**Author's notes**: Can I tell you people that I hate it when it snows? I live in Georgia for a reason, and it _is not_ to be snowed in at my apartment with my school closed down for two days. Arg.

Anyhoo, being stuck inside the apartment (going stir crazy, of course) has led to me finishing this chapter and posting it. I hope everyone enjoys, and please pray for my sanity (and warm weather) to thaw me out soon!

**Dress**

Mark looked out over the ocean, watching the waves crash against the rocks below the cliff as the sun warmed his skin. He straightened when Derek cleared his throat behind him, turning to look at his best friend. "It's beautiful here," he said, and Derek nodded, handing Mark his tuxedo jacket. "Lexie picked the perfect location."

"And here I thought you said that you would never marry in the outdoors."

But she had pleaded for the botanical gardens, for this specific location, and she had won him over after a trip to see the gardens; they were beautiful, perfect for their spring wedding. "I was wrong about that," he finally answered Derek, watching as a few more guests trickled in to the already-crowded seating. Bailey was up in front, as was Mrs. Shepherd. Karev, Arizona, Callie, even Richard Webber were there, their friends and their family.

"It's time," the minister said, touching Mark's arm, and Mark nodded, slipping on his jacket as the music started. He watched as the flower girl—one of Derek's nieces—and the ring bearer—Bailey's son—made their way down the aisle of rose petals, dumping out more petals as they walked.

He saw her at the end of the processional, in her dress with the pockets—she was so excited about the fact that her dress had side pockets. She looked beautiful, her hair in graceful waves, hidden beneath the waist-length veil. A single diamond glittered around her neck, and he could see the shimmering diamonds of the bracelet around the wrist clutching the bouquet of white lilies.

The bridesmaids were coming down the aisle now—Cristina, smirking at Owen, and Meredith, her maid-of-honor. "You better not hurt her," Meredith warned in a small voice when she came to the gazebo, and Mark smiled at her, assuring her he wouldn't.

And then she was walking, her blue shoes—_you have to have something blue_—peaking out beneath her dress as it swirled around her.

He reached out a hand as she stepped into the gazebo, and she took it, handing her bouquet to Meredith as they turned to face the minister. "We are gathered here today to join together Alexandra Grey and Mark Sloane in wedded matrimony."

He smirked at her.

She smiled back at him.

"Mark and Lexie have decided to write their own vows. Mark-" the minister prompted, and he nodded, sucking in a breath.

"I never thought I would get married. I never thought I would want to. I never thought I would need to. I never thought I would want kids. But I do. I want all of that—I need all of that—with you, Lexie. You are my guide through the world, the light leading me home, and no matter how many times I get off the path, you are there to help me find my way back.

"I will be there for you, forever. I will take care of you, I will love you, and I will treasure you from this day forward until my death."

Mark can see Derek smile in his peripheral as he folded his small card back up and stuffed it in his pocket, his attention turning back to Lexie as she began speaking. "You weren't part of my plan, Mark. I never thought I would stray from my plan, and yet here you are, here we are, getting _married_. This was definitely _not_ part of the plan.

"But, screw the plan. You love me, and I love you, and we can make a new plan." He smirked as the crowd laughed. "I love you, and I'm going to love you forever. No matter what happens, I'm going to be there, even if you don't want me to be. So you better start getting used to it now." The audience laughed, but he just squeezed her hand again, glancing to the minister.

"Now, we will exchange the rings. Lexie, take Mark's ring and repeat after me, 'with this ring, I thee wed'"

Lexie took the ring—a simple white gold band that he had insisted on—pausing right before she slipped it on his finger. "With this ring, I thee wed," she whispered, pushing the ring on, bringing his hand to her mouth and kissing it.

"Mark, repeat after me, 'with this ring, I thee wed'."

Her ring was more intricate, a white-gold band with diamonds, and he said the words as he slipped it on her tiny fingers.

"You have been joined together in matrimony in front of your friends and family. This is a sacred vow that you have taken, a vow of eternity. By the power vested in me by God and the state of Washington, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride."

He could hear the cheers of the crowd as he grabbed Lexie and pulled her to him, his lips hard against hers' as they kissed, smirking when her hands gripped his hair _tight_.

He finally righted her—she had been bent, classic-kiss dip, he thought—and truly smiled, pressing a kiss against her cheek. "Did I tell you," he whispered as they faced the crow, "how gorgeous you looked in that dress?"


	10. Ten: One

**Title:** Dress

**Author:** S.N. Brown

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the characters of _Grey's Anatomy_..

**Summary: ** He was ready to change.

**Author's notes**: In lieu of this awful Callie-is-preggers-with-Mark's-baby storyline, I give you the next installment of _Rest_.

"You have to be wrong," Lexie glared at the test for a minute before she picked it up, shaking it. "No, no, no, no, no." She shook it again, wishing it would change. Two little pink lines…two lines that said _pregnant._

"Lexie? Are you okay in there?" Mark called, and her eyes widened. "I'm going to come-"

"No, I'm fine!" she answered, shoving the box and the test off the counter, into the trashcan. "I'm-"

"Lexie-"

She opened the door, giving him a frustrated look. "What?" she returned, pulling him down for a kiss. "Happy Anniversary, Mark."

He smiled, warpping his arms around her waist and spinning her in a circle, kissing her as they spun. "Happy Anniversary to you, too, honey."

"Honey, huh? We've never really had pet names before. Shall I call you darling? Sweetheart? Honeybun?" she teased lightly, grinning as she kissed him again. "One year…it seems like a lifetime."

"It's going to be for forever," Mark whispered,

_He didn't know how true he was_.


	11. Eleven: Cry

**Title:** Cry

**Author:** S.N. Brown

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the characters of _Grey's Anatomy_..

**Summary: ** He was ready to change.

**Author's notes**: In lieu of this awful Callie-is-preggers-with-Mark's-baby storyline, I give you the next installment of _Rest_.

**Cry**

He was staring at two beautiful blue eyes, and they were staring right back at him.

"She's okay?" he asked Arizona as she exited the room, joining him. "She wasn't crying when you guys took her out, and-"

"Mark, listen." She stopped talking, and he stopped talking, and he heard it, the wail of his daughter. "She's going to be just fine. She just needed a little bit of help in the beginning. How's Lexie?"

"I'm about to go see her. She wanted me to stay with our baby, make sure she was okay."

"Have you guys picked out a name yet?" Arizona asked, watching Mark watch the little girl with magnificent blue eyes. "Mark?"

"She likes Ava, and I like Anne, so I think it's going to be Ava Anne Sloan."

"It's perfect, Mark. She's perfect."

He nodded, smiling at the little girl one more time before hugging Arizona. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

"Mark, you're my girlfriend's best friend. Your wife was my special patient. Of course I would do this for you. Now go tell your wife that Ava is okay—I'm sure she's freaking out right now."

Lexie was sleeping, not freaking, when he slipped into her room. The birth had been rough on her, demanding, almost twenty hours, and he figured that the least she deserved was some rest. He sat down beside her, pushing a piece of her hair behind her ear.

Her eyes fluttered open, and she smiled sleepily at him. "How is she?"

"Perfect, Lex, she's absolutely perfect. Arizona said she's going to be fine," he replied, kissing her. "I'll bring her up later, okay? After you get some rest, after you feel better."

"We have to do the birth certificate," she murmured, taking his hand.

"Ava Anne. That's what we decided, right?"

"It's perfect."

He nodded, kissing her hand. In this moment, it didn't matter that he had been up for thirty-nine hours, or that he had several surgeries he had to reschedule. It didn't matter that he probably looked like hell, that he was sure he smelled like hell, that he had been at the hospital for two days.

His little girl had been born, and the most perfect thing about the day: she cried.


	12. Chapter Twelve: Walk

**Title:** Walk

**Author:** S.N. Brown

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the characters of _Grey's Anatomy_.

**Summary: ** He was ready to change.

**Author's notes**: I'm not dead! Aren't you all glad? I'm done with my huge capstone course, and to celebrate, I bring another (albeit really short) ficlet in _Rest._

* * *

**Walk**

* * *

"Daddy, look."

Mark looked up from the charts he had brought home, the medical books he had out, smiling at his daughter as she tugged on his shirt. "What is it, Avs?" he asked, pulling her into his lap, pushing some of her hair behind her ear. "Have you been outside?" He brushed at the dirt spot on her pink skirt, shaking his head.

"_Daddy, look_." She pointed behind him, and he turned in his chair, nodding at her and murmuring "sure, princess."

His son stumbled, shaky legs sending him into the room. Lexie followed behind him, a big smile on her face as she reached out her hands to steady the ten-month-old. "Look at what _your_ son is doing, Mark. I blame you," she said with a smirk. "Go see Daddy, Mattie. Go on."

With unsteady steps, but a big grin on his adorable face, Matt managed his way to his father, grabbing Mark's knee when he stumbled at the finish line. Kissing Ava's cheek, Mark set her down, pulling his son into his lap. "What were you doing, buddy?"

The boy giggled, and Mark nuzzled his cheek, smirking at Lexie. "Was this a way to tell me to get my butt out of the study and come pay attention to my family?" He stood, the charts and books forgotten, and followed Lexie and Ava out to the living room for a night of playing dolls with his daughter and building blocks with his son.

All in all, a normal night at home with his family.


End file.
